Register now for webinar on new report on children in low income families
How are children and young people in the Nordic region faring when their families live with persistently low income? Join us for the launch of the Nordic status report Children and youth at risk of poverty - Nordic approaches to social mobility and remaining challenges.
A smartphone of their own is not recommended for children aged under 13.
No screen time is recommended for children aged under 2.
A maximum of one hour of screen time per day is recommended for children aged 2–5 years.
A maximum of one hour of screen time per day is recommended for children aged 6–10 and a maximum of two hours for children aged 11–13. If necessary, adults should restrict the screen time.
The content used on the digital device must be suitable for the child and support development. For example, this means that the age limits for digital games, television programmes and films must be observed, and the child must not be exposed to harmful content.
Children under the age of 13 must not use social media services.
Young people’s use of digital media is a hot topic. The Nordic countries are considering introducing age limits and other measures concerning children and social media. There is a shared interest among all countries to increase knowledge about the positive and negative effects of digital media use on children and young people.
The Nordic Welfare Centre is leading a project on Nordic co-operation on a safer digital democracy for children and youth. Researchers from universities in Finland, Norway and Sweden are undertaking a literature review of the impact on digital media on children and young people, and a mapping of policies and initiatives in the Nordic countries and international standards and initiatives. A report reflecting the views of children and young people is also produced. Joint Nordic recommendations will be developed based on the research findings and stakeholder consultations and will be presented this autumn.
Updates from the Nordic network about the child’s first 1000 days – a healthy start in life
Webinar 11 May about identifying gaps and needs to strengthen psychosocial wellbeing
On 1 January 2026, Denmark took over from Finland as the chair of the Nordic network about the child’s first 1000 days - a healthy start in life. The network welcomes Liv Lyngå von Folsach, Sundhetsstyrelsen, and Mette Skovgaard Væver, University of Copenhagen, as co-chairs of the network in 2026. The network would also like to thank Jonna Lehikoinen of the Itla Children’s Foundation in Finland for her work as chair in 2025.
In 2026, the network will finalise the implementation of the project Improving children's health in the first 1000 days: Implementation of interventions and screening tools used in services in the first days of children's lives, funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers. As part of this project, the network is organising a webinar on 11 May 2026 to launch a new report entitled The First 1000 Days in the Nordics: Identifying Gaps and Needs to Strengthen Psychosocial Wellbeing.
Safer Internet Day 10 February
Safer Internet Day (SID) is a global day of action celebrated in February each year when stakeholders around the world join to raise awareness about online safety and wellbeing of children and young people. Safer Internet Day 2026 will be celebrated on 10 February. Under the theme of Together for a better internet, this annual celebration calls upon all stakeholders to join to make the internet a safer and better place for all, especially for children and young people.
Read more about some of the events in the Nordic countries:
Comparable data on media literacy for the Nordic region presented
Media literacy refers to the knowledge and skills needed to use media in a responsible and confident way. It enables people to make informed decisions and ultimately strengthens the overall knowledge level of society. On 13 January the Nordic Council of Ministers launched the report Nordic Media Literacy Survey, based on a survey of over 12,000 Nordic residents conducted by the Nordic media authorities. The respondents answered questions about their media habits and their knowledge of both traditional and new media.
The results show that one-third of adults aged 16 to 44 find it difficult to keep up with the news, while around one-fifth of over-55s do not verify news content they suspect is fake. These examples demonstrate the need for continued investment in education in media literacy in the Nordic region.
New NordForsk funding opportunities relevant for research on children and youth
NordForsk has opened two new calls that offer research
communities in the Nordic and Baltic countries opportunities to apply for
support for both exploratory networks and larger research projects. The calls
target the humanities, social sciences, and the field of education - areas
central to understanding children’s and young people’s living conditions,
learning environments, and societal inclusion. Both calls include information
webinars in February.
The Nordic call for exploratory networks within
humanities and social sciences (NOS-HS) is now open. The intention is to fund
22 networks through this initiative.
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This newsletter is published about six times a year, mainly in English, with occasional Scandinavian articles. It contains the latest news about our network, projects and publications, and information about coming events in the field of child and youth policy and practice in the Nordic region.
Norden ska vara världens mest hållbara och integrerade region år 2030. Nordens välfärdscenter bidrar framför allt till målet om ett socialt hållbart Norden. Läs mer om arbetet i Nordiska ministerrådets Vision 2030.
